TAYLOR, BC -- The medical clinic in Taylor will lose its doctors by the end of the month.
The North Peace Primary Care Clinic informed the District of Taylor in August that they will no longer be offering their services at the Taylor Medical Clinic. Services will cease on October 1st.
The clinic is moving from the existing community-based model to a fee-for-service model, in which doctors are paid by the provincial government for each patient visit. Because of this, the doctors will no longer come to Taylor to provide services. Patients will still retain their doctor, but will now have to travel to Fort St. John to see them.
Mayor Rob Fraser says this reflects a larger issue with Northern Health. He says the health authority is making no effort to recruit or retain doctors in Taylor, and the same problem has been seen all across northern BC.
“I think there’s a deeper root here that it being just in Taylor – I believe there’s a problem at Northern Health,” says Fraser. “They have resisted this clinic since 2009. I think they’ve got a problem with retention of doctors in this region.”
Fraser said Taylor will be exploring other healthcare options for the community. Council plans to inquire whether hiring a nurse practitioner will be suitable for the community. Other options might include online telehealth services.
